Outbound mail piece tracking

Abstract

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a way for low-volume mailers to track individual outbound mail pieces, including tracking of individual U.S. Postal Service FIRST-CLASS MAIL® letters. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention encodes a unique mail piece tracking identifier as a CONFIRM® service identifier in a graphic symbology. The unique mail piece tracking identifier of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention conforms with requirements of a CONFIRM® service identifier, while at the same time, provides, for a defined period of time, mail-piece-level uniqueness for first class and other mail class mail piece tracking.

1. A computer-implemented method for a first class mail piece tracking provider to provide, to a plurality of customers of the first class mail piece tracking provider, tracking of individual outbound first class mail pieces respectively initiated in a mail stream by respective customers of the plurality of customers, said computer-implemented method implemented using a computer-based postage system programmed for operation on behalf of the first class mail piece tracking provider, said computer-based postage system available for communication with each respective customer of the plurality of customers, said computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving, by the computer-based postage system, from a particular customer of the plurality of customers of the first class mail piece tracking provider, a request for a computer-based postage indicium to mail a particular first class mail piece to a delivery address; 
 determining, by the computer-based postage system, a delivery address identifier corresponding to the delivery address; 
 searching, by the computer-based postage system, a computer-accessible memory for a previously-used first class mail piece tracking identifier comprising the delivery address identifier, a highest-previously-used subscriber identifier, and a highest-previously-used mailing identifier; 
 modifying, by the computer-based postage system, at least one of the highest-previously-used subscriber identifier and the highest-previously-used mailing identifier until determining, by the computer-based postage system, a next first class mail piece tracking identifier that has not been used during a particular period of time, said next first class mail piece tracking identifier comprising the delivery address identifier, a final version of the subscriber identifier, and a final version of the mailing identifier; 
 assigning, by the computer-based postage system, the next first class mail piece tracking identifier to the particular first class mail piece; 
 generating the computer-based postage indicium according to the request for the computer-based postage indicium; and 
 creating, by the computer-based postage system, a particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology, separate from said computer-based postage indicium, said particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology encoding the next first class mail piece tracking identifier; 
 wherein the highest-previously-used subscriber identifier and the final version of the subscriber identifier are from a group of a plurality of subscriber identifiers that have been assigned to the first class mail piece tracking provider, the plurality of subscriber identifiers identifying the first class mail piece tracking provider in a tracking service authorized by a postal authority. 
 
   
   
     2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 facilitating, by the computer-based postage system, fixing the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology in a visual medium, said visual medium adapted for physical association with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 physically associating the visual medium in which the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology is fixed with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 receiving, by the computer-based postage system, a request from the particular customer for tracking information regarding the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 searching, by the computer-based postage system, a set of scan records comprising records of scans of a plurality of machine-readable tracking graphic symbologies performed by the postal authority for a first class mail piece tracking identifier that matches the next first class mail piece tracking identifier. 
 
   
   
     6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 5 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 determining, by the computer-based postage system, that a particular scan record comprises the first class mail piece tracking identifier that matches the next first class mail piece tracking identifier; and 
 reporting, by the computer-based postage system, to the particular customer, a set of tracking information associated with the particular scan record. 
 
   
   
     7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the delivery address identifier is obtained from Internet-based postage delivery address information. 
   
   
     8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 formatting, by the computer-based postage system, the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology as a bar code for print-rendering as a label for the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 8 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 physically associating the label with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     10. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein creating, by the computer-based postage system, the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology comprises creating, by the computer-based postage system, a machine-readable bar code. 
   
   
     11. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , said computer-implemented method further comprising:
 facilitating, by the computer-based postage system, fixing the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology in a first visual medium, said first visual medium adapted for physical association with the particular first class mail piece; and 
 facilitating, by the computer-based postage system, fixing the computer-based postage indicium in a second visual medium, said second visual medium adapted for physical association with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     12. The computer-implemented method of  claim 11 , wherein the first visual medium is a first label and wherein the second visual medium is a second label. 
   
   
     13. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein said next first class mail piece tracking identifier further comprises a tracking service type identifier. 
   
   
     14. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein, said computer-readable program code adapted to be executed by a computer system to implement a method for a first class mail piece tracking provider to provide, to a plurality of customers of the first class mail piece tracking provider, tracking of individual outbound first class mail pieces respectively initiated in a mail stream by respective customers of the plurality of customers, said computer system programmed for operation on behalf of the first class mail piece tracking provider, said computer system available for communication with each respective customer of the plurality of customers, said method comprising:
 receiving from a particular customer of the plurality of customers of the first class mail piece tracking provider, a request for a computer-based postage indicium to mail a particular first class mail piece to a delivery address; 
 determining a delivery address identifier corresponding to the delivery address; 
 searching a computer-accessible memory for a previously-used first class mail piece tracking identifier comprising the delivery address identifier, a highest-previously-used subscriber identifier, and a highest-previously-used mailing identifier; 
 modifying at least one of the highest-previously-used subscriber identifier and the highest-previously-used mailing identifier until determining a next first class mail piece tracking identifier that has not been used during a particular period of time, said next first class mail piece tracking identifier comprising the delivery address identifier, a final version of the subscriber identifier, and a final version of the mailing identifier; 
 assigning the next first class mail piece tracking identifier to the particular first class mail piece; 
 generating the computer-based postage indicium according to the request for the computer-based postage indicium; and 
 creating a particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology, separate from said computer-based postage indicium, said particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology encoding the next first class mail piece tracking identifier; 
 wherein the highest-previously-used subscriber identifier and the final version of the subscriber identifier are from a group of a plurality of subscriber identifiers that have been assigned to the first class mail piece tracking provider, the plurality of subscriber identifiers identifying the first class mail piece tracking provider in a tracking service authorized by a postal authority. 
 
   
   
     15. The computer program product of  claim 14 , said method further comprising:
 facilitating fixing the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology in a visual medium, said visual medium adapted for physical association with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     16. The computer program product of  claim 15 , said method further comprising:
 physically associating the visual medium in which the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology is fixed, with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     17. The computer program product of  claim 16 , said method further comprising:
 receiving a request from the particular customer for tracking information regarding the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     18. The computer program product of  claim 17 , said method further comprising:
 searching a set of scan records comprising records of scans of a plurality of machine-readable tracking graphic symbologies performed by the postal authority for a first class mail piece tracking identifier that matches the next first class mail piece tracking identifier. 
 
   
   
     19. The computer program product of  claim 18 , said method further comprising:
 determining that a particular scan record comprises the first class mail piece tracking identifier that matches the next first class mail piece tracking identifier; and 
 reporting, to the particular customer, a set of tracking information associated with the particular scan record. 
 
   
   
     20. The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the delivery address identifier is obtained from Internet-based postage delivery address information. 
   
   
     21. The computer program product of  claim 14 , said method further comprising:
 formatting the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology as a bar code for print-rendering as a label for the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     22. The computer program product of  claim 21 , said method further comprising:
 physically associating the label with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     23. The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein creating the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology comprises creating a machine-readable bar code. 
   
   
     24. The computer program product of  claim 14 , said method further comprising:
 facilitating fixing the particular machine-readable tracking graphic symbology in a first visual medium, said first visual medium adapted for physical association with the particular first class mail piece; and 
 facilitating fixing the computer-based postage indicium in a second visual medium, said second visual medium adapted for physical association with the particular first class mail piece. 
 
   
   
     25. The computer program product of  claim 24 , wherein the first visual medium is a first label and wherein the second visual medium is a second label. 
   
   
     26. The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein said next first class mail piece tracking identifier further comprises a tracking service type identifier.